Dimensional drawings are often generated for communicating information about an object. The dimensional drawings show the dimensions of an object to communicate the size of certain features and to communicate the spatial relationship between certain features. Dimensional drawings are also used in sales and marketing materials to convey size information to the consumer.
Vehicle dimensional drawings for instance, are often generated to convey the wheelbase, bumper-to-bumper, ground clearance, and other dimensions of the vehicle. Currently, most vehicles are identified according a predetermined set of dimensions set forth in the Society of Automotive Engineers J1100 dimensioning standards such that each vehicle is dimensioned in the same manner. In addition to the SAE J1100 standard dimensions, vehicle manufacturers typically have a proprietary set of standard dimensions that are identified for each vehicle design. As such, a very large number of dimensions are obtained for each vehicle design.
However, the dimensions are largely obtained manually from preexisting models. This means that drawing views are generated, the dimensions are found and recorded, and then a dimensional drawing is generated. This process can be very tedious and prone to errors. Furthermore, if the design changes, the object may need to be dimensioned again, taking more time and possibly introducing new errors. Also, generating a report of the dimensions can be tedious and prone to errors. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a more efficient and accurate means of dimensioning an object and reporting the dimensions of the object.